The Wizard of Eventide by Jon/Kelley Skovron

Name of Book: The Wizard of Eventide 

Author: Jon/Kelley Skovron 

ISBN: 978-0-316-45468-1

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Goddess War (The Ranger of Marzanna, The Queen of Izmoroz prequels)

Type of book: fantasy, European world, end of trilogy, wars, goddesses, sides, balance, discovery, Golems, stories, songs, mythologies, magic. 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

In the thrilling conclusion to Jon Skovron's epic fantasy trilogy that began with The Ranger of Marzanna, allies and enemies alike must band together to defeat an evil on a scale never before seen—and this time, the Gods are on the battlefield.

 

As Vittorio’s empire enacts its bloody reign, the Uaine now behind him after a stunning betrayal, a reunited Sonya and Sebastian must embark on a journey to distant lands to amend past wrongs—and find unlikely allies along the way.

 

In far Raiz, Jorge has his hands full enough with the devastation the Empire left behind. But the battle isn’t over, and the sovereignty of his nation will depend on his ability to band together the ancient houses—and recruiting a figure straight out of legend.

 

Galina, now Queen of Izmoroz, rules her land with an iron fist in a velvet glove. But heavy is the crown, and enemies lie in wait both within and without her dominion. To realize her vision for a free Izmoroz at last, she’ll have to fight with much more than politics.

Characters:

The characters include Sonya, a ranger who has given up a lot of herself to achieve great things. She continues to be irreverent, humorous and very rarely serious. She is also loyal and desires to do the right thing. Sebastian is the younger brother and a very talented elemental mage who has been going through a lot of self-reflection and is willing to look at bigger picture. Jorge is a former healer but is now the leader and representative of the nation of Raiz and he is asked to question old rules, especially as they apply to him. There is also Galina, Sebastian's former fiancee who becomes a queen to admire and isn't afraid of doing the difficult things. And of course, let's not forget Irina, Sebastian's and Sonya's mother who isn't connected to anyone or anything and who is far more pragmatic than sentimental. 

Theme:

Nothing is truly over

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative, and to my mind at least, I can't remember which of the characters tended to hog the narrative, so I guess it means every character is given equal time in telling their stories. There aren't any new characters making appearances, and the two goddesses/gods along with their mother Mokosh are more fleshed out. Of course there are Sonya, Sebastian, Jorge, Galina and Irina along with a few minor characters. The world is best described as Eastern European along with Western Europe, and it definitely gave hints on more to come, which the first trilogy addresses. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

N/A

Opinion:

Truly, parting is such sweet sorrow, which expresses my sentiment to the last book in The Goddess War trilogy. Just like its two predecessors, there is a lot that impressed me about The Wizard of Eventide such as the world building, the psychology of various characters and a whole lot of unforeseen twists. In this novel we spent quite a lot of time getting to know the nation of Kante, which is based on German and Ashkenazic stories (The tale of Golems as well as questioning G-d's existence and mention of Cohen as last name is Ashkenazic.) Of course there are wars. I am definitely impressed with how each culture is portrayed, how they aren't the same. There is a brief unveiling of the mysterious nation of Victasha, and, apparently, its tied to Jon/Kelley Skovron's previous trilogy The Empire of Sands, which I hadn't read yet. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)